clear my throat. I hate talking in front of groups. “Uh, no, just a regular one. All human.”
“Damn. So some poor sap had to eat it before you could get cured?”
Henry grinds his teeth next to me.
“You’re on thin ice, Delancey.” Brynn points her finger at him.
“Basically,” I say quietly.
“Brandon…” Tess raises her eyebrows as if she’s been kept waiting. Now that she’s not dancing, she’s been orphaned, off-center from the group’s
attention. He ignores her.
“Shit.” Connor pierces another marshmallow and holds it over the fire. “You know anything about whoever’s heart it is?”
“I’m sure she’d rather not think about it,” Henry growls.
“That’s not true,” I jump in. “But no, I guess I don’t. Know anything, I mean. The family asked not to be identified, so it’ll have to remain a
mystery.” I inch closer to the fire, trying to fend off the dampness that’s seeping into my vulnerable backside. A classmate cuts between Brandon and me on his way to the cooler and
back.
“Come on,” Brandon prods. “You must be curious about it. I mean, you literally have someone’s heart beating inside you. What if he was, like, a psycho or something and
it, I don’t know, somehow infects your brain.”
“You’re an idiot.” Lydia takes a break from blowing on a hot marshmallow.
I tug at the sleeves of my sweater. “Not sure that’s how it works exactly,” I say, attempting to sound nonchalant. “But yeah, of course. I think about it. Mainly I wish I
could thank them.” I try to brush off the line of questioning, but without wanting to be, I’m taken back to that night in the hospital bed, as I listened to Dr. Belkin tell my mom that
my potential donor had died. My family never talks about my match. But that doesn’t stop me from wondering.
“Survival of the fittest,” Brandon muses, taking another long pull from the flask.
Tess’s glower shifts to me. She narrows her eyes. “Well, at least you get to be the center of attention for once. That’s got to be a pleasant side effect, right?” Her
tone is sugary enough to give me diabetes.
I pull my knees into my chest. “I’m not sure what you mean. There are a lot of side effects. I wouldn’t call any of them pleasant.”
“Oh, I mean just like the whole surgery thing, then the in-and-out-of-school dance, and now, well, of course the stunt in anatomy today.”
My cheeks burn. “That wasn’t—”
“No, no.” She waves her hand as though I’m misunderstanding. “I totally get it. Go big or go home.”
Henry stands up, brushing off the back of his jeans. “Let’s go, Stella.” He reaches down for me, but I push his hand away and stand up on my own. Is this what people think of
me?
Brynn stands up and flanks me on the other side.
Tess cocks her head and flutters her long eyelashes. “After being gone so long, I mean, it makes total sense that you’d feel the need to act out. I think we all understand.”
She nods her head like a guidance counselor.
“
Act
out? There’s no acting involved.” My stomach clenches along with my fists. Just then a familiar head breaks through the ring. Harrison Miller has an easy gait as he
walks to the cooler stuck in the sand nearby. He swings his arms as if he’s never had a care in the world, smiling warmly, unthinkingly, at the faces he passes. The type of kid who’s
always class something—president, student council representative. This year it’s treasurer.
At the sight of him, my mouth goes dry. I try to look down but it’s too late. When he sees me, his eyes brighten. “Hey, Veronica,” he says.
Brynn’s and Henry’s heads both snap toward me. “Veronica?”
“Veronica Leeds. She’s new.” He looks back at me. “We met in the hall. Remember?”
All at once, my night is going in for a crash landing. Unable to avoid him, I look up. My eyes sting like I just got out of a pool. “Hi, Harrison,” I begin. I wonder if I look as
“Damn. So some poor sap had to eat it before you could get cured?”
Henry grinds his teeth next to me.
“You’re on thin ice, Delancey.” Brynn points her finger at him.
“Basically,” I say quietly.
“Brandon…” Tess raises her eyebrows as if she’s been kept waiting. Now that she’s not dancing, she’s been orphaned, off-center from the group’s
attention. He ignores her.
“Shit.” Connor pierces another marshmallow and holds it over the fire. “You know anything about whoever’s heart it is?”
“I’m sure she’d rather not think about it,” Henry growls.
“That’s not true,” I jump in. “But no, I guess I don’t. Know anything, I mean. The family asked not to be identified, so it’ll have to remain a
mystery.” I inch closer to the fire, trying to fend off the dampness that’s seeping into my vulnerable backside. A classmate cuts between Brandon and me on his way to the cooler and
back.
“Come on,” Brandon prods. “You must be curious about it. I mean, you literally have someone’s heart beating inside you. What if he was, like, a psycho or something and
it, I don’t know, somehow infects your brain.”
“You’re an idiot.” Lydia takes a break from blowing on a hot marshmallow.
I tug at the sleeves of my sweater. “Not sure that’s how it works exactly,” I say, attempting to sound nonchalant. “But yeah, of course. I think about it. Mainly I wish I
could thank them.” I try to brush off the line of questioning, but without wanting to be, I’m taken back to that night in the hospital bed, as I listened to Dr. Belkin tell my mom that
my potential donor had died. My family never talks about my match. But that doesn’t stop me from wondering.
“Survival of the fittest,” Brandon muses, taking another long pull from the flask.
Tess’s glower shifts to me. She narrows her eyes. “Well, at least you get to be the center of attention for once. That’s got to be a pleasant side effect, right?” Her
tone is sugary enough to give me diabetes.
I pull my knees into my chest. “I’m not sure what you mean. There are a lot of side effects. I wouldn’t call any of them pleasant.”
“Oh, I mean just like the whole surgery thing, then the in-and-out-of-school dance, and now, well, of course the stunt in anatomy today.”
My cheeks burn. “That wasn’t—”
“No, no.” She waves her hand as though I’m misunderstanding. “I totally get it. Go big or go home.”
Henry stands up, brushing off the back of his jeans. “Let’s go, Stella.” He reaches down for me, but I push his hand away and stand up on my own. Is this what people think of
me?
Brynn stands up and flanks me on the other side.
Tess cocks her head and flutters her long eyelashes. “After being gone so long, I mean, it makes total sense that you’d feel the need to act out. I think we all understand.”
She nods her head like a guidance counselor.
“
Act
out? There’s no acting involved.” My stomach clenches along with my fists. Just then a familiar head breaks through the ring. Harrison Miller has an easy gait as he
walks to the cooler stuck in the sand nearby. He swings his arms as if he’s never had a care in the world, smiling warmly, unthinkingly, at the faces he passes. The type of kid who’s
always class something—president, student council representative. This year it’s treasurer.
At the sight of him, my mouth goes dry. I try to look down but it’s too late. When he sees me, his eyes brighten. “Hey, Veronica,” he says.
Brynn’s and Henry’s heads both snap toward me. “Veronica?”
“Veronica Leeds. She’s new.” He looks back at me. “We met in the hall. Remember?”
All at once, my night is going in for a crash landing. Unable to avoid him, I look up. My eyes sting like I just got out of a pool. “Hi, Harrison,” I begin. I wonder if I look as
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